NHL Rumors Heat Up: Are the Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins Poised for a Game-Changing Move?

No team ever truly escapes the ripple effects when a cornerstone player goes down — and that’s precisely what the Florida Panthers are wrestling with right now. Losing Aleksander Barkov for a good seven to nine months isn’t just a blow; it’s a seismic shift that’s sending ripples through their entire lineup. Sure, they’ll shuffle the deck internally — maybe sliding Sam Reinhart or tapping Anton Lundell to fill that crucial center slot. But let’s be real, shifting pieces around won’t cover the whole void Barkov leaves behind. Bill Zito, the savvy GM in the hot seat, knows this all too well. He’s scouring other rosters, weighing options, and making those late-night calls, looking outside the box for a solution that could push the Panthers ahead. Cap space? They’ve got a little wiggle room during the regular season but have to tread carefully. After all, if Barkov makes a playoff comeback, they gotta be ready to clear the financial hurdles without gyrating out of shape. The clock’s ticking — April to late June — but rushing a star back wouldn’t be wise. The Panthers’ front office knows patience is a virtue in this game. LEARN MORE

The Florida Panthers will start off internally, but will likely need to go externally to fill Aleksander Barkov’s slot

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic: The Florida Panthers obviously won’t be to replace center Aleksander Barkov, who is lost for seven to nine months. Internally, they might be able to shift someone from the wing to center, as many of their wingers were drafted as centermen.

Sam Reinhart could move, or maybe they’ll promote Anton Lundell, who centered their third line. GM Bill Zito doesn’t think it’s Lundell’s or anyone’s job to replace Barkov. He’ll be going over potential external options.

“You’re going through other rosters. You’re going through who might be available. You’re fielding phone calls. You’re making phone calls. You’re seeing on a pretty regular basis what’s available and what the cost is.

“You do your projections, and so that just continues. And if there’s something that we think makes us better as a team, we’ll do it. And if not, we don’t. It’s really no different.”

The Panthers will have some regular season cap flexibility, but they’ll need to keep in mind the playoff cap ceiling if Barkov is able to return at some point during the playoffs. Seven months is April, nine months is late June. It’s expected that Zito won’t rush things.

Would Evgeni Malkin be interested in the Florida Panthers, and do they have enough to land him?

Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Evgeni Malkin wasn’t implying at the start of training camp that he would consider a trade like Brad Marchand did at the trade deadline last year to the Florida Panthers. Malkin was using Marchand as an example of what can happen when your team isn’t doing well, and they may not want you. It turned out perfectly for Marchand by winning the Cup, but it usually doesn’t end up like that.

After seeing the way things went down with Marc-Andre Fleury, it may give Malkin something to think about, as you can leave and come back a hero.

Back to the Florida Panthers, as a perfect fit for Malkin, after Aleksander Barkov went down with a knee injury. Would Malkin waive his no-movement clause for the Panthers? The Panthers are a little thin in the prospect pool, though.

One spitballing potential trade ask could be forward Mackie Samoskevich. He was a 2021 first-round pick. He’s on a one-year, $775,000 deal.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? Rumor roundups and hot topics from around the league. We’re also posting some stuff on Instagram.